In An Instant
by Fuzzball457
Summary: A hunt goes astray and Sam pays the price. Pre-series.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I'm new to the FanFic world and this is my first every attempt at a fanfic. So please review, but be gentle. I know it's a little slow, but it does get better.**

**CHAPTER 1**

Rain lashed heavily against the front window of the impala. John and Dean sat in the front of the impala with Sam sitting in the back.

Sam and Dean had spent the day researching at the library while John had interviewed a few town locals.

They were doing an easy hunt in a town full of terrorized locals claiming they had been attacked by a ghost. Of course no one believed them, but when two girls were found buried alive in a graveyard people started leaving. Not many people were left in the town and those who were still there were jumpy and panicky.

It hadn't been hard to figure out what had happened. An old man named Charlie Mincster had hit his head hard and gone unconscious. His nurse found him and panicked. She didn't want to be blamed for murder as she was sure she would be. So she hastily buried the body in the backyard and left town. Unfortunately for the man he was still alive when he was buried, but he died of suffocation shortly after being buried. His neighbors noticed that he never seemed to leave the house and went over to make sure he was okay. They discovered he was missing and the police noticed the recently dug up dirt in the back. The mortician quickly realized he didn't die from the wound on his head and he had, in fact, been buried alive. He was buried in a cemetery and his death was published in the newspaper.

_Simple enough… _Dean thought to himself when Sam first showed him the article. The article failed to mention which cemetery he had been buried in, however. It didn't take Sam long to come to the conclusion that there were three cemeteries in the area.

John had swung by about an hour later and picked up the boys to head back to the motel.

The impala pulled up outside a small diner. John started to get out, but the voice of his older son made him stop.

"Dad, we can please just get something to go? I'm exhausted." _God, I hate libraries. _

"You didn't even do anything!" Sam snapped. If anyone deserved to be tired, Sam felt it was him. He had done all the research while Dean laid back and complained about being cooped up in a stuffy library.

"Did too! I had to keep your ass focused. Besides I was busy." He said with a grin. _Yeah, busy flirting with a hot chick._ Dean mentally finished his sentence. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Fine, besides maybe with a bit more research we can figure out which cemetery so we don't have to go to them all." John walked in to the diner as quickly as he could to avoid being soaked inside out.

Although the days had been warm and sunny, the nights were very different. The temperature dropped fairly quickly and usually a heavy thunder storm ensued.

He quickly ordered two bacon burgers and a chicken sandwich for Sam. He glanced back and could see Sam and Dean arguing in the impala through the window. He sighed and slowly shook his head. _What am I going to do with them?_ John chuckled to himself.

XXX

"Well, that was a complete waste of time!" Dean fumed. They had spent the day at the first cemetery searching for an apparently nonexistent grave.

"Shut up, Dean, you'll wake your brother," John said, though he made no attempt to keep himself quiet.

Dean glanced back at his sleeping brother. He couldn't help but feel at peace as he looked at Sam. His Sammy. Dean smiled to himself as he turned back to face front. He rested his head up against the cold window and suppressed a shiver.

_Damn, it's cold_. Dean closed his eyes for a minute and felt his muscles relax.

Dean's eyes remained closed until he heard his dad mutter something and felt the car come to a slow stop.

"Dad, what?" Dean asked, slightly annoyed as he had just been falling asleep.

"Sammy, hey, Sam, wake up," John said as he gently shook Sam awake. Dean looked around and sighed.

They were at another cemetery.

"Aww, Dad…" Dean whined.

"You said it yourself, today was a waste of time. I wasn't planning on coming, but we were gonna pass it on our way home and it occurred to me that maybe it didn't have to be a total waste."

"Dad, it's pouring," _and I'm tired. _Dean said, though he already knew it was a waste of time. Their dad was stubborn and Dean of all people knew it.

"Wha?" Sam mumbled as he woke up.

"Come on, kiddo." John hauled Sam out of the car and onto his feet. John went around to the trunk and pulled out flashlights and shovels. "Here," he said, passing one flashlight to each of them and a shovel to Dean. "By the looks of things, this place is pretty small, so it shouldn't take long. Sam, stay with Dean. Call me if you find anything."

_Stay with Dean. Hmph._ Hasn't he proven he could take care of himself over the last few months? Sure Sam was new to the hunting business. Dad had only started taking him on hunts when he turned 13 a few months ago, but still.

"Come on," Dean's voice made it quite clear he was not happy about poking around a graveyard in the pouring rain either. Sam followed Dean in silence. They walked in the opposite direction as their father. They walked for what seemed like hours, but was probably barely forty-five minutes. Sam felt himself shivering more and more violently. He made his way down the row of headstones as Dean did the next row. They had been alternating rows to make things more effective. That's when Sam saw it.

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

A huge mass grave stood at the end.

Unlike most mass graves, this one had a small stone with a list of names. Apparently people who didn't have any remaining family to give them a burial were put in a mass grave. It wasn't a very rich town and apparently individual graves weren't high on the priority list of things to do with the towns small amount of money.

Sam shone his flashlight at it. Some of the names were smudged and hard to read, but he could make out most of it. He slid his finger down the list and stopped when it hit the sixth name. Charlie Mincster. It was hard to make out, but Sam was sure that's what it said.

"Dean. Dean! I found it!" Sam cried happily. Really what made him happy was the thought that they would soon be at a motel room where he could take a long, warm shower. Dean walked over and, judging by the expression on his face, he felt the same as Sam.

"Great, I'll call Dad." Dean took out his cell phone and cursed when he found he had no signal. "I'll be right back. I'm going to try to find a signal. Start digging." Dean tossed him the shovel and wandered off in the distance, phone held aloft.

Sam stared at the name on the stone. It looked quite sad, really.

Sam shoved the shovel into the dirt that was quickly becoming mud in the rain. The handle felt cold and icy. Sam began digging further, but the dirt shifted under his feet. Sam glanced down just in time to see the mud began sliding to reveal a dark hole. Sam screamed like he never had before.

XXXX

"Dad!" Dean yelled into the distance. As he was unable to get a signal on his phone, he was attempting to gets his dad's attention the old fashion way. Dean opened his mouth to scream again, but was shocked to hear a scream from somewhere else. He recognized it instantly and it chilled him to the bone. _Sammy!_

"Sammy! SAM!" Dean screamed as he ran back towards where he had left Sam a few minutes ago.

XXXX

Sam landed in a thud in the mass grave.

"DEAN! HELP ME! DEAN!" He screamed desperately. His hands searched the ground hungrily for his flashlight. He felt his hand hit something cold and circular. He pulled it up close to his face so he could see it.

_OHMYGOD! IT'S A BONE!_ Sam let out another scream. Tears began trickling down his face. His left hand felt something plastic and Sam pulled his flashlight to him and turned it on. He was so petrified he couldn't even bring himself to scream at what he saw. He was surrounded by at least ten skeletons. Sam dropped the flashlight and began shaking uncontrollably.

_Get out. Have to get out. Now._ Sam took a moment to pull himself together then, after retrieving his flashlight, stumbled over to the edge and attempted to pull himself out.

He was about two feet short of the top and it didn't help that the walls of the grave were turning into muddy mush.

"Don't bother. You _will_ be buried alive." Sam looked up to see a ghostly man above him. His eyes seemed empty and dead and his mouth was a horrible sneer. As he stood there the walls of the grave began to topple in burying Sam.

Sam knew he wasn't going to be able to get out as soon as he saw the man. He grabbed his flashlight and pulled himself into a tight ball. He sobbed as shivers racked his body. He realized just how cold he was. He was soaking and now he was below ground. The rain had gotten lighter, but Sam was still as cold if not colder than before. To his surprise, the dirt didn't bury him completely, though it the hole was sealed off, trapping him in. It was like a small cave now, with a wet, cold, probably sick and very, very lonely Sammy smack dab in the middle. It allowed there to still be some air, but Sam knew it wouldn't last him long, eventually he would suffocate. Sam tried to take a shaky breath, but the air, polluted with dirt, stung his lungs and made his eyes water.

He clicked off the flashlight. All it did now was show Sam the horrible skeletons he would spend his final moments with.

XXXX

Dean got back to where the grave was, but found nothing or no one.

"Sammy! Sam?" Dean begged as he looked around at the empty landscape. Where was his Sammy? Where the hell could he have gone? "DAD? SAM? SAMMY?" Dean was on the verge of hyperventilating. Suddenly, John came barreling out of nowhere.

"Dean, what is it? What's wrong?" John demanded, panic obvious in his voice.

"Sammy, Sam..." Dean muttered trying desperately to get the words out, but failing miserably.

"He's not coming back." A chilling voice said. Dean and John whipped around and both immediately got into a battle stance out of habit.

Charlie Mincster stood before them in ghost form.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, frantic. John attempted to shut him up and shove Dean behind him, but Dean refused.

"What have you done to Sammy?" Dean screamed.

"Buried alive." Those words hit Dean like an avalanche. He almost lost it. If it wasn't for his battle senses telling him to keep himself together, he would have dropped to the ground crying. He felt John tense up against him. _Oh, god, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have left him._ Dean felt crushed by his guilt and wondered if Sam knew just how much he meant to Dean.

XXXX

Sam could hear yelling above him, but it didn't matter. They would never find him. Sam was shaking like crazy. He would never live to see another day. _I never got to say good-bye to Dean or Dad. Never got to say how much they meant to me, how much I loved them. _Tears rolled down his cheek. They streamed down his cheek in zig-zag patterns because he was shaking so much. Clutching desperately to his knees, he tried to preserve his body heat. He curled up into the tightest ball he could, resting his head on his knees. He was starting to go numb and he could feel darkness creeping into the edge of his vision.

XXXX

John pulled a rifle out to shoot the spirit, but Dean had other ideas. If he knew were Sam was, he might be useful.

"Why are you doing this? Just because your stupid nurse buried you? That's no reason to kill people!" He screamed. The ghost opened his mouth, but Dean wasn't done. "Please, not my Sammy, not my baby brother. Please." Dean said trying to calm himself down, but only succeeded in making his way from angry to desperate. If he could just reason with the ghost…

"Please, I'm begging you."

"NO! You don't get it! This is just about my stupid nurse! Because of how I died I am stuck on this stupid planet, unable to move on. So I seek revenge. And your filthy, no good-"

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY BABY LIKE THAT!" John, who had been shocked into silence before, shouted as he came to his senses.

"He dug my grave up!"

"To put you to rest!" Okay, maybe that wasn't exactly true, but that was essentially the overall effect.

"No one can put me to rest!" Dean felt a twinge of sympathy for the old man.

"You can!" Dean screamed, leaving the ghost shocked. "That's right you can! Just let your emotions go, look for the light!" Charlie did everything he could to relax. He wasn't sure if this kid was telling the truth, but for some reason he felt he could trust him.

Dean really had no clue how he knew this, it just flowed out of him.

"I…I see…I see it…" Charlie stammered as a bright white light appeared before him.

"Then, um, go to it." Dean said quietly. He wasn't sure why he was helping the ghost, but he felt that it was just the right thing to do. Dean failed to see how this would help Sam, but his brotherly instincts told him otherwise. The ghost began walking forward then turned to face Dean.

"Thank you," the chill in his voice was gone, he sounded kind and gentle, "you're brother,"

Dean's sympathy was gone in an instant as the whole of the situation came crashing back to him. His Sammy was somewhere underground and they had no idea where. _Poor kid's probably scared stiff and all alone._ Dean flinched as this thought crossed his mind. Sammy was going to die alone thinking his family didn't care enough to dig him out. _Oh, Sammy. I'm so sorry. _Dean knew the ghost was going to say he was sorry, but what the hell did that matter? He was sorry he murdered Dean's precious Sammy?

"Don't you dare say you're sorry, you son of a-"

"I was going to tell you," the ghost snapped, though a bit of kindness was audible, "that your brother is still alive, but only just. He is there," he pointed to the mass grave, "buried in there, but alive." The ghost turned and disappeared, finally at rest. Dean was so stunned to hear the words he almost didn't believe it.

To be continued….

**I'll probably get the next chapter up in two to three days. I hope you liked it. Reviews greatly appreciated. **

**As of now it's 5 chapters, but I'm probably going to end up with around 7. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey! First, I want to say thank you so much to all of you! THANKS! I'm extremely excited about the response I'm getting on this! Sorry this one is a bit short.**

**Where we left off: **_"your brother is still alive, but only just. He is there," he pointed to the mass grave, "buried in there, but alive." The ghost turned and disappeared, finally at rest. Dean was so stunned to hear the words he almost didn't believe it._

**CHAPTER 3**

Sam's vision had started to get blurry. He was shaking and coughing. His chest hurt from coughing so much and he felt lightheaded. He had stopped crying a long time ago and, as odd as it seems, he felt dried up and dehydrated. _I'm going to die. In a stupid grave. How convenient._

"Dean," Sam cried out, though it was barely a whisper.

He suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on him and his breathing got faster. Sam began to shake, not out of cold, but out of panic. Two words crept into his mind.

_Panic attack. _

Sam tried to breathe slower and calm himself down, but the terror coursing through his veins had other ideas. His breath was getting faster and faster and Sam realized he was hyperventilating. _Calm down!_ He mentally shouted at himself. But another, more pessimistic, side of him snapped back. _How can I? I'm going to die. Plain and simple. I'm going to suffocate to death and if I don't I'm going to freeze to death. At least Dad won't have to worry about the cost of a grave… _

XXXX

"Dean! Dean, come on!" John yelled, dragging Dean back to the real world. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and it was still cold, but that didn't make a rat's ass difference to Dean. He practically yanked the shovel out of his dad's hands and began digging.

XXXX

Sam was past the point of giving up. He had stopped trying a long time ago. He had managed to stop hyperventilating by putting his head between his knees, a trick he had learned from his dad. He was, however, on the verge on unconsciousness and was fairly sure he had pneumonia from breathing in the dirt. His eyes drooped and his chest stung as the oxygen starting running low. His breath was slow and ragged, unable to draw in much of the precious substance needed to sustain him. His whole body was so numb he no longer felt cold. His wrists were bluish and his hands were white with yellow patches. He still felt miserable and scared and mostly lonely. _Oh, God! Please, please, just let me die now. Stop this suffering and let me die. _Suddenly, he heard a crunch above. His head felt like it weighed a million pounds, but he still jerked it up to see what had made the noise. A tiny, tiny bit of light streamed in. At the same time a tiny bit of hope crept into Sam as he watched the hole with eyes blurred with tears and plain old exhaustion. _Maybe, just maybe…._

XXXX

Dean felt the dirt starting to give away. He was making a hole. _Oh, God, let Sammy be okay. This is all my fault! Please, let him be okay._ The hole got bigger and John just managed to drag Dean out of the way as the whole grave caved in.

_SAMMY!_ Fear cursed through Dean's body as he realized he may have just crushed Sam and any chance of survival he had.

He forced his way out of his dad's grip and began digging through the dirt.

"SAM!" He screamed, hoping desperately to get a response from somewhere.

Silence.

John and Dean began digging through the dirt, looking for anything that hinted Sam's presence.

Dean was on the verge of tears, as his fingers brushed something soft. He looked down and recognized the very dirty, light brown hair.

"Sammy!" John was by Dean's side in an instance and they dug away the dirt to reveal an unconscious, soaked and shivery Sam. He was curled into a tiny ball clutching the flashlight. His skin had a pale, grayish tint to it and his lips were edged with blue.

"SAMMY!" Dean screamed.

To be continued…

**I have a crazy week planned so it will probably won't be until Friday (ish) that I get the next part up. Sorry! Thanks for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey, sorry for the wait. Here's the next installment of In An Instant. Hope you like it…**

Where we left off: _They dug away the dirt to reveal an unconscious, soaked and shivery Sam. He was curled into a tiny ball clutching the flashlight. His skin had a pale, grayish tint to it and his lips were edged with blue._

**CHAPTER 4**

John yanked his baby boy into his arms and, with Dean's help, got back up to solid ground. Dean felt a tad guilty for the grave they had defaced and left crushed, but right now his main concern was for Sammy.

They ran back to the car and Dean slid into the back seat as his Dad passed him Sam. John ran around to the trunk and pulled out a blanket. He passed it to Dean and got into the front seat.

John remembered passing a hospital on their way here, so he turned around and prayed he would be able to get there in time.

Dean tucked the blanket around his shivering brother and held Sam tightly against him.

"Shh, Sammy, it's okay, I'm here. I've got you. Everything's going to be okay, I promise." Dean whispered soft words of comfort as he ran his hand through Sam's dirty locks of wavy, brown hair out of pure habit. Dean cradled Sam's frozen body against his. He rested his head on top of Sam's and felt Sam's shaky breath on his chest. Dean grabbed one of Sam's hands and held it tightly. He let out a gasp as he realized Sam's fingers were extremely white with almost yellow spots on them. _No way that's normal._

John drove like manic all the way to the hospital. John listened to his eldest softly offering words of comfort to his hurting baby.

He felt a bit of relief wash over him when he saw the hospital sign and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

He pulled up right outside the door and sprinted to the back door of the trustworthy impala. Dean flung it open just as John got there and nearly broke his nose. John took his little boy in his arms and ran into the ER, Dean at his heels.

"Help! I need help over here!" John cried as soon as they entered. Several nurses came rushing over and took Sam from John's arms. They placed him on a gurney that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"What happened?" A nurse demanded as she and several others checked Sam's vitals.

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but shut it when he realized he didn't know what to say.

"We we're in a graveyard and the grave collapsed and Sam fell in." John said quickly, feeling it best to tell the truth, well at least for the most part…

"Okay, we got possible head trauma and internal bleeding." A nurse stated seriously.

"What's his name?"

"Sam Micheals." John said thinking of the name on their fake insurance cards.

They rolled the gurney towards the waiting doors. Dean held onto Sam's limp hand tightly. He attempted to follow the gurney through the doors, but an orderly stopped him.

"I'm sorry, you have to wait here, Sir."

"No, Sammy! I have to go with-"

"Come on, son," John quietly interrupted Dean. He steered the middle Winchester towards the hard, plastic, white chairs.

"We'll let you know as soon as we know anything." The nurse smiled apologetically then walked away.

Dean slumped into the chair and began running his hands through his hair. John noticed his son's nervous behavior and attempted to calm him.

"Sammy's going to be fine, Dean, okay? He's strong, he'll pull through," John said though he didn't entirely believe it himself. Dean gave a small nod then looked up at his dad.

"Even if he is okay physically, he's going to be totally traumatized. He never like graveyards, especially skeletons…" Dean trailed off.

"Hey, it'll be okay, kiddo. We'll help him through whatever it is. But right now, we have to have faith that he'll be okay and be strong… for Sammy."

TBC…

**Author's Note: Again, sorry about the wait! Also sorry it was short. I'll probably get the next chapter up on Monday. Please review! Thanks to everybody!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks some much, guys! I'm amazed at the response! Well, here's the next chapter, hope you like it.**

**Where we left off: **_"Hey, it'll be okay, kiddo. We'll help him through whatever it is. But right now, we have to have faith that he'll be okay and be strong… for Sammy."_

**Chapter 5**

Sam blinked a couple of times.

"Hey there, sweetie," a smiling, middle-aged woman said.

"D'n?" Sam asked quietly as he noticed his brother's absence from the room.

"He's in the waiting room." Sam opened his mouth to ask a question when he became aware of a oxygen mask covering his mouth. He raised a shaky hand to remove it, but the nurse stopped him. She caught him by the wrist and gently placed his hand back on the bed with a shake of her head.

"Sorry, pumpkin, but you have to leave that on."

"D'n, D'd," Sam said, his voice muffled by the mask, hoping the woman would get the message. She smiled and gave a small nod.

"They'll be right in." She quietly and quickly walked out of the door leaving Sam alone trying to ponder what had happened. He remembered walking through the graveyard with Dean. He remembered finding the grave and Dean telling him to dig. He even rememberd falling in, but then what? How did he get from there to here?

Sam sighed and looked around. The walls were white as was everything else in the room. He had a pulse-ox meter attached to his finger and a few wires hooked to his chest. He was hooked up to two IVs, which he could only assumer were giving him antibiotics and nutrients.

His chest ached and, to Sam, it took a great effort just to draw breath. He felt slightly lightheaded and could feel a headache coming on.

None of that really matter to Sam. He just wanted his dad and Dean to come and take him away and make everything all better as only they could.

XXX

Dean glared at the nurses and doctors coming out of the doors that kept him from his brother. He was about ready to bite the head off the next person to walk through those doors without information on his little brother.

As it happens, the next nurse to walk through the doors was a plump brunette, who had left Sam's room moments before. Dean couldn't help but notice that she had a motherly air about her.

"Family of Sam Micheals?" Dean was up and across the room before John even had a chance to remember the fake name.

"How is he?" Dean asked nervously. She remained silent until John arrived.

"You must be Sam's father and you," she said turning to Dean, "must be Dean."

"How do you know who I am?" Dean asked, his hunter instincts taking charge.

"When Sam came around a couple of minutes ago, he immediately asked for his dad and someone by the name of Dean, so I just assumed…" Dean's instincts settled down.

"Oh," Dean felt a stab of guilt as he realized Sam had awoken alone and probably scared.

"Now, please follow me so I can tell you how Sam is."

"If he's awake why can't we see him?" Dean asked urgently.

"It's standard procedure to tell you before you see him." Dean nodded numbly and followerd her. They entered a small room with a table and three chairs.

"Now," the nurse said as she sat down, "I realized we were never introduced properly, I'm Anna," she said as Dean and John took their seats.

"John Micheals, Sam's father." John said shaking her outstretched hand.

"Dean Micheals, Sam's brother," Dean said wishing they could skip the pleasantries and hurry-up so they could see Sam.

"Sam was in pretty bad shape when he got here, but I see no reason he shouldn't make a full recovery." Dean and John both visibly relaxed. "Sam has severe hypothermia, which caused hi pulse and respiration to decrease and his heart rate to increase. He also has 1st degree frostbite, which is known as frostnip, which, as you may have noticed, causes white and yellow patches on the affected area. Don't worry frostnip isn't permanent. He's suffering from asphyxia, which is when the body doesn't get and adequate amount of air. He is currently wearing an oxygen mask to help remedy the situation. This caused a blue tint to his lips, which you may have also noticed." Dean couldn't help but wonder how someone could _not _notice. "What little air he did manage to get was extremely polluted with dirt. This caused him to get pneumonia, we still have to do an x-ray to confirm this, but we're fairly certain. We're giving him antibiotics through and IV, that and rest should get rid of the pneumonia. Several of his ribs are bruised so his chest will be sore. We also have evidence that at some point before coming, Sam suffered a panic attack and hyperventilation, so he might be dizzy from that. Don't be surprised if he sleeps a lot for the next few days and maybe even weeks, his body needs rest to recuperate. If he's cold, don't' hesitate to ask for a blanket. So, now," she said standing, "if you two will follow me, I'm sure a very eager Sam is waiting for us.

_Very anxious is more like it…_ Dean thought to himself. Dean followed after the nurse, but John remained still.

"He'll be okay right?"

"He'll be shaky and a bit traumatized, but other than that he should be fine."

Dean's head was spinning from the information, but one thing stuck out the most. _Sammy's going to be fine. _

Anna pushed open the door and Dean gasped. Sam was facign the other wall. Judging by the heart monitor, Anna was right in saying Sam's heart rate was a bit fast, but Dean would worry more about that later.

As soon as they entered Sam's head rotated towards them revealing an oxygen mask covering the kid's nose and mouth.

Upon seeing John and Dean, Sam's eyes lit up.

John stood frozen at the door, his mouth agape. Dean, however, rushed forward and took Sam's hand into his.

"Hey, kiddo, how you holding up?"

Anna sensed the bond between this family, and with a secret smile, she exited the room.

John finally came to his senses and rushed to the side of Sam not blocked by Dean.

"Yeah, Sammy, how you feeling?" Sam gave a small shrug, but his eyes said it all.

_I feel crappy, but everything is a hundred times better now that you guys are here…_

**Author's note: I'm going to a Christmas show on Wednesday, so the next post will probably be on Thursday. Hope you like it and remember: reviews are love. Can't wait to hear you opinion. Also if you have any ideas or suggestions, don't hesitate to suggest them. I might just include a few. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I'm sorry it's a day late. I had a ton of homework last night. Well, anyway, here's the next chapter. Also, I'm really sorry if any of the medical terms are off. Thanks so much all of you! Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Oh, and just so you know, each section that is Sam's POV is whatever just happened again from his views, just so there's no confusion. **

**Where we left off: **_I feel crappy, but everything is a hundred times better now that you guys are here…_

**Chapter 6**

Sam stared happily at them, but was fighting valiantly to stay awake. Dean noticed his efforts and said quietly "Sam, kiddo, get some rest, we'll be here when you wake up. Sam smiled and let his eyes slid closed.

XXX

Dean was asleep in one of the hard plastic chairs when he was awoken by sounds of hacking coughs. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but when he saw Sam sitting straight up in bed, eyes closed tightly, coughing so viciously Dean was afraid he might actually cough organs up, it all came crashing back to him.

"Sammy!" He cried, jumping to his feet and rushing next to his brother. "Easy, Sammy, it'll be okay, deep breaths," Dean said, gently rubbing Sam's back. "Dad!" Dean cried when Sam continued coughing so continuously, his lips started turning blue.

John, who had also been asleep, was jerked awake by his eldest's desperate cry for help. He was by Sam's side in an instant. "Dean? Dean! What's going on?"

"Sammy was coughing, and oh, god, I don't think he's breathing…Sam!" He screamed as Sam's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell limp in Dean's grasp. John jammed his finger into the call button. When no one came, John ran into the hall and called out for help.

Several nurses came running in. "He's not breathing! We gotta get this kid on a ventilator!" Dean and John were shoved aside as the nurses crowded around Sam. A male nurse bent Sam's head slightly back as another nurse shoved a tube down his throat in one swift, fluid motion. They quickly hooked it to a ventilator and Sam's chest began to rise and fall with the forced breaths.

After the job was done, all the nurses exited except one. She looked to be about mid-thirties with long, light brown hair pulled back into a braid.

"So what the hell happened?" John demanded.

"Well, we can't be sure, but likely the pneumonia caused him to cough to the point that he nearly suffocated. Because of the mild asphyxia he already suffered, he passed out fairly quickly. We had to put him on a ventilator, but chances are he won't need it before long and we'll remove it before he wakes up. Then he can probably go to a nasal cannula." With a sympathetic smile, she exited the room leaving the three Winchesters alone again.

"Oh, Sammy," Dean said quietly as he took up his post in the plastic chair next to Sam again. John sat down on the other side and ran his hands through his hair.

XXX

**Sam's POV**

_Oh, god, my chest hurts._ I thought to myself as I started to come to. The first thing I was aware of was the soft bed under me and the slightly scratchy blanket under my chin. I slowly opened my eyes and then slammed them shut as a burning sensation ripped through my lungs. I began coughing like crazy. I was sure my very lungs were being torn from my chest. I wanted to call out to Dean or my father, but my hacking coughs stopped me. Apparently my coughing was enough to get their attention though because I soon felt a soothing hand rubbing my back. I tried desperately to inhale, but I was coughing and choking too much. _I'm suffocating! I'm going to die! Dean! Dean, where are you? Dad! Somebody! Please, somebody, help me!_ I could feel blackness trying to overwhelm me, but I was trying desperately to fight it.

I could tell. I could see it coming a mile off. Death. I felt my breath hitch one last time before it stopped altogether and inky blackness overtook me.

XXX

Again Dean was abruptly awoken by a sound from the bed. This time, however, it was a choking, gagging noise coming from Sam. Dean once again rushed to Sam's side. Sam stared at him, eyes wide with horror. He jerked his hands up to remove the intruding object from his throat, but Dean grabbed his hands and stopped him.

"Hey, it's okay, Sammy, its there to help you, just let it breathe for you…DAD!" Dean finished the last word in a scream. John quickly took in the situation and, yet again, rushed into the hall to call for help. The same nurses, this time accompanied by a doctor, came in and removed the tube in a swift motion. The female nurse with brown hair from before quickly slid a nasal cannula under Sam's nose and hooked it up.

"Sorry, kiddo, we didn't think you would wake up so soon," She said with an apologetic smile. Dean rushed back to Sam's side, having been shoved out of the way when the others came in. Sam's hazel eyes filled with soon-to-be tears. Dean gently wrapped his arms around his little brother being mindful of his bruised ribs.

Sensing the bond between these two, the medical staff exited the room. Each and every one of them feeling warmed by the obvious in the room.

Sam's tears spilled over and sobs wracked his body.

"Shh, Sammy, its okay, just relax, deep breaths, kiddo, shh," Dean continue his mantra of soft words as he ran his hand through Sam's floppy locks.

Sam took a deep, raspy breath. John grabbed a cup and filled it with water. He offered the cup to Sam, who took it gratefully.

After downing about half the cup, Sam relaxed back into Dean's arms.

Dean held onto Sam until he felt him go limp and heard his breath even out. He gently laid Sam back down on the bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Night, Sammy," Dean said das he sat back in his seat, vowing not to fall asleep again for at least the rest of the night.

"Sleep well, Son," John said quietly.

XXX

**Sam's POV**

I once again came to consciousness with an achy chest, but now my throat felt just as bad. I tried to take a deep breath. _What the hell?_ I tried yet again to breathe, but although I could feel my lungs inhaling and exhaling, I couldn't take a breath. I sat straight up in bed. I was totally unaware of my surroundings, but I did remember going to bed in a hospital. _What the heck is in my throat? _I was suffocating, but not. I struggled to draw breath, but I couldn't, however, I didn't feel like I was gonna pass out like I should if I was being strangled or suffocated. I started making gagging noises. _Dean? Dad? Why aren't you guys here? Why aren't you helping me? _I had my eyes open, but I wasn't really seeing, I was too busy trying to force a breath. Suddenly, someone was rubbing my back and I recognized the voice as Dean's. I couldn't tell what he was saying. I lifted my hands and tried desperately to pull whatever was in my throat out, but Dean stopped me. _Dean! What are you doing? Can't you tell I'm choking? _I heard Dean scream something and then I could hear many voices. Someone grabbed my head and tilted it back. My hunter instincts told me to fight back, but my confused and dizzy head told me that wasn't going to happen. Suddenly the lump in my throat was gone. I could breathe again, but my throat had a horribly raw feeling. Someone, a female by the sound of it, said something to me, but I wasn't listening. I realized Dean was no longer rubbing my back. Panic for Dean quickly took the place of my previous panic for me. What if something had happened to him? Something must have happened because he would never leave me like that.

Oh, crap. Wait, what about Dad, he had been here too hadn't he?

Double crap. It must have been something really horrible to take down both of them. I wanted to call out but my throat just hurt too damn much.

All of a sudden I felt warm arms wrap around me that I knew were Deans. I melted into his embrace. I tried not to cry. Winchester's do not cry. Never. Not Dad. Not Dean. And not me. _I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not- _before I finished my thoughts tears melted down my cheeks. Tears of pain. Tears I had been holding back since I first saw that little light when I was in the grave. Tears of relief that Dean and presumably Dad were okay. Tears of happiness. We were all okay. All of us, including me, well for the most part. I heard Dean saying something soft and soothing and it just made me cry more tears of joy and relief when he ran his hands through my hair like he used to when we were little. I took a deep breath, but stopped before I could finish when pain ripped down my throat into my lungs. A cup was held out to me and I managed to smile at my dad. I took a cool sip. It felt like sweet, sweet relief. I took a large gulp that almost resulted in another round of hacking coughs. Thankfully it didn't. Tiredness swept over me in a tsunami of a wave. Before fighting it even occurred to me, I drifted to sleep in the comforting presence of Dean.

The end? Or TBC?

**Author's Note: What do you think? Should I write another, kind of wrap up chapter? Let me know what you thought. Reviews are love! If this is the end, thank you all for your amazing response to my first ever fanfic. Thanks!**

**~Tori :)**

**P.S. It probably won't be long before I have another story up. I have so many ideas, I just can't get them all down!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: So here it is. The final chapter of my first fan fic! Thank you everyone and as always, please review! Well, here we go…**

**Oh, and sorry this chapter is mostly just fluff, but I just thought it went kind of well… and I'm also sorry if you think Sam's reaction to the nurse's statement is a bit overkill, but I just wanted an excuse for some brotherly love. So without further ado, I present to you…**

**Chapter 7 **

Sam's eyes flickered open. He glanced around and realized with a jolt where he was. _I'm back in the grave! _But no, that wasn't right, his dad and Dean had rescued him…hadn't they? Hadn't they taken him to the hospital? But here he was. Once again trapped in a grave.

"DEAN! DAD!" Sam screamed.

"They aren't coming for you." Sam whipped around to see a skeleton standing upright, one hand outstretched menacingly.

"No! No, it isn't true…" Sam stammered as much to convince himself as the bony figure.

Before he could react, the skeleton launched himself at Sam. He wrapped two long, bony fingers around Sam's neck. Sam tried desperately to call out, but couldn't get enough air to breathe, let alone to scream.

Blackness crept into his vision and his eyes rolled back in his head.

XXX

Dean lay fast asleep on one half of the couch, John asleep on the other. Dean was dreaming of a hot, skinny, blonde girl wearing nothing, but a red bra and a red pair of underwear. She was stretched out across the hood of the impala holding two ice cold bears. She smiled revealing perfectly aligned, pearly white teeth. She opened her mouth to say something, but…

"AAAHHH!" Dean leapt up from the sofa as the same time as his dad. Both had already grabbed a knife they had had concealed in their clothing and were brandishing it around, looking for the attacker. It was Dean who first realized that the attacker was nothing supernatural.

"Sammy!" Dean called, running next to his brother. He gave him a small shake as the younger boy thrashed around in the bed obviously deep in the grips of a nightmare. John was at Sam's other side in an instant.

"Sam! Wake up! It's just a nightmare!" John attempted to push his shoulders down and make him lie flat, but Sam was strong and continued thrashing. Dean slid into the bed next to Sam wrapping his arm protectively around the youngest Winchester.

"Hey, shh, it's okay, just breath," Dean cooed softly. John could tell this was a moment between his two sons so he slipped out to get some coffee for himself and Dean.

At first Sam attempted to wriggle out of his brother's hold, but soon he relaxed into it as he came back to the world of reality.

"Sammy? You okay now?" Dean felt Sam nod his head against Dean's arm. "You want to talk about it?" Sam shook his head.

After a moment of silence Sam spoke up. "Dean?" He said quietly.

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"Kinda hungry." Sam didn't have to explain further, Dean understood. _I'm not surprised. Poor kid hasn't eaten anything since we stopped at that fast food joint…_

"I think I saw a vending machine down the hall, peanut M&M's sound good?" Sam nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back, Sammy, I'm just going to dash down the hall, be right back," Dean, rather reluctantly, slid out of the bed and opened the door. Quietly humming to himself, Dean made his way down the hall and up to the vending machine. He attempted to slide his dollar in, but the machine spit it back out. _Damn thing. _He shoved it back in three times before the machine accepted it. He quickly typed in A5 and a small bag of the candy fell down. He slowly repeated the process, the machine accepted this dollar in only two tries, and snatched up the second candy. As he got closer to the door to Sam's room, he heard a panicked nurse's voice and Dean froze.

"I'm sorry, I don't know who that is, you have to be more specific…" the female voice said.

"Dean," Sam cried out.

"I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Deeeaaaannnnn!" Sam wailed out. That was all it took to get Dean going again.

"Sammy?" He called as he dashed into the room. Sam was sitting up, tears pouring down his face. A tall skinny nurse Dean didn't recognize stood at the end of the bed holding a pudding cup and a spoon, looking quite alarmed.

"What's going on?" Dean demanded as he rushed to Sam's side, pulling him into a tight embrace. Sam fisted the front of Dean's shirt and sobbed into Dean's shoulder.

"I don't really know," the nurse stammered, "I just got on shift. I came in here to offer Sam some pudding, but he turned it down…" Dean looked down at the top of Sam's hair. _No way that's what caused this…_

"That's it?"

"Yes, well no, I said that he was getting so skinny he was starting to look like a skeleton, but I don't see why- " And then it clicked in Dean's head. _Of course, skeletons, that must have been what the nightmare was about and then the nurse…ooohhhh._ Dean shot the nurse a glare and then began rubbing circles on Sam's back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" She stopped as Dean shot her another look clearly saying '_Get out'_. So she did. She left the two brothers, still unsure of what the heck had just happened. One minute the boy was turning down pudding saying something about M&M's and then he's crying like there's no tomorrow.

XXX

John slurped down his coffee. With a glance at his watch he realized he should be getting back to Sam and Dean.

"I'm sorry, but I have to get back to my sons." The woman nodded goodbye. John wasn't usually a social person, but the woman, whose daughters were also in the hospital, had been so understanding and open. He hadn't told her the truth about himself, obviously, but had still enjoyed the conversation about the woman, each sharing what had happened to their children. She was kind and obviously suffering the same stress and worry John had been going through. He grabbed Dean's cup of coffee and headed upstairs. He opened the door and laughed at what he saw.

Sam was sitting up in bed, legs crossed and Dean was sitting at the end of the bed in the same position. They were both holding cards and a small pile sat in the middle. There was also a half eaten pack of M&M's sitting in between them.

"Twos?" Dean asked.

"Go fish, what about threes?" John laughed again. _Go fish, one of Sam's favorites…. _Dean reluctantly handed over two threes. Sam smiled happily as he took them.

That's when John knew for sure. Sure there had been a few bumps in the road, bumps in the form of nightmares and mini panic attacks, but now John knew that everything would be just fine.

As John stared at his two boys, one of which he had come so close to losing, it occurred to him just how much can happen in an instant.

THE END

**Author's Note: So there we have it. All done. Please review and let me know what you thought! I can't wait to write more fanfiction! But, for now, I bid you all good-bye. Hope you enjoyed reading and I can't say thanks enough for your support!**

**So recap : THANKS!**

**~Tori :) **


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